Thames Valley chief says he may join Police Federation in court if Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers are freed from prisonThe chief constable of Thames Valley police has said he will consider joining legal action against the government if it fails to block the early release of two of PC Andrew Harper’s killers.The Police Federation is contemplating going to court in its attempts to keep Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers in prison. Continue reading...
Jake Richard acknowledges ‘unimaginable pain’ of Harper’s family but says government faces an ‘unenviable position’Good morning and welcome to the UK politics blog.Ministers continue to defend the release of PC Andrew Harper’s killers as part of the government’s early prisoner release scheme, despite a potential legal challenge from the Police Federation.Well, look, we understand that people are angry. The Harper family are, of course, angry. The police are angry too.We’re angry that we’re in this situation where we face the unenviable position of having to make sure that we have a sustainable prison system, which is so vital to a functioning law and order system in our country, but also that we do right by victims as far as possible.Because without a functioning prison system, it means it’s difficult for police to make arrests, it’s difficult for our courts to try cases, and it could mean to the collapse of law and order in this country.We cannot be in that situation, so that is the challenge that we face as government ministers and the prime minister faces ultimately.I feel sick to my stomach, if I’m really honest with you. I’ve had a gut wrenching feeling in my stomach the past couple of weeks with this, and it doesn’t go away.And arguably, I would say that many of my members across Thames Valley also have this gut wrenching feeling, even at the prospect of these two killers being released in the space of weeks, potentially.Ministers will scrap the requirement for companies to prove their green and progressive values before they are awarded government contracts, and instead ask firms to prove they will help young people back into work.Women should not feel pressurised into experiencing an “ideal birth”, the new health secretary, Yvette Cooper, has said, promising a root-and-branch reform of standards after several damning maternity scandals.An official investigation has been launched into charities in England and Wales donating funds to illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine.Andy Burnham has inherited a Labour membership that is sceptical about increased welfare spending, supportive of higher defence spending, and ranks the climate crisis as one of the country’s biggest challenges, according to new polling.BP’s chief executive has urged Andy Burnham to make use of the UK’s oil and gas resources even as the oil company prepares to sell its North Sea business after 60 years in the ageing basin.The Conservative party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has defended the selection of a former neo-Nazi activist as a candidate for a local election in Somerset despite him being jailed in 2016 after he was convicted of racially aggravated harassment of the former Labour MP Luciana Berger.Pupils in Scotland’s schools received their exam results this morning, with exam pass rates at all levels having risen this year, including a record number of National 5 passes. Continue reading...
Anti-corruption watchdog’s long-awaited report finds ‘serious and concerning’ conduct by senior government members in dealings with union bossSenior members of the former Daniel Andrews government engaged in “serious and concerning” conduct in their dealings with firefighters union boss Peter Marshall, a long-awaited report by the Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog has found.The report by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (Ibac) was tabled in parliament on Wednesday, some eight years after their investigation first began. Continue reading...
Former leader shows support for new Victorian premier while paying tribute to Jacinta AllanFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFormer premier Daniel Andrews has thrown his support behind the Victoria’s new Labor leader, Ben Carroll, saying he has what it takes to win November’s state election.In a rare public statement on Wednesday, Andrews also paid tribute to Jacinta Allan, who he handpicked to replace him as premier when he resigned in September 2023. Continue reading...
Social media influencers fighting against extradition to UK where they face rape, sexual assault and other allegationsSocial media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate will remain in jail at least two more weeks until their next hearing as they fight extradition to the United Kingdom, where the brothers are accused of rape and sex trafficking, a federal judge said Monday.US magistrate Lauren Louis set a detention hearing for 13 August to determine whether the Tates should stay in jail or be released during what could be a months-long extradition process. Continue reading...
UK to seek extradition over sexual exploitation, ‘extreme pornography’ and assault and indecent images of a childAndrew and Tristan Tate, brothers who are social media influencers, were arrested by federal authorities Saturday in Miami, the US Marshals Service said.The charges against the pair were not immediately announced. Brady McCarron, a spokesperson for the marshals, said the warrant was sealed. Continue reading...
The legendary composer warned theaters could soon meet the same fate as Hollywood’s ‘empty soundstages’Andrew Lloyd Webber has spoken out about the precarious state of Broadway in the wake of the early closing of his revival Cats: The Jellicle Ball.“Broadway is more than a street or a collection of buildings. It is an idea—and one of the greatest cultural ideas America has given us,” the composer wrote in a lengthy X thread on Tuesday morning. Continue reading...
Firm reportedly felt it was in public interest to test alibi offered by former prince after Virginia Giuffre accusationPizza Express held an internal inquiry to investigate Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s visit to its Woking branch, as he has claimed he did on the day he is alleged to have had sex with a teenage victim of Jeffrey Epstein 20 miles away in central London, it has been reported.According to sources who spoke to the BBC, senior management at the restaurant chain held the investigation because they felt it was in the public interest to test the alibi the former Duke of York had offered. The broadcaster reported that the company had found neither evidence he had been to the restaurant in Surrey, nor evidence to definitively say he had not. Continue reading...
Tate and his brother argued CPS acted unlawfully by not telling them the names before they return to UKA high court judge has thrown out Andrew and Tristan Tate’s attempt to bring a legal challenge against the Crown Prosecution Service after it did not disclose the names of their alleged victims in UK criminal proceedings.The pair are facing legal proceedings in Romania, where they live, but will be extradited to the UK upon their conclusion to face a combined 21 charges, including rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking. Continue reading...
Hastie tells colleagues home affairs minister did not disclose the threats made against him, but he has been targeted online for his views on Ben Roberts-SmithFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie is set to receive extra security in what he believes is a response to a One Nation-fuelled campaign against him, including over his stance on the Ben Roberts-Smith war crimes allegations.At a partyroom meeting on Tuesday, Hastie told colleagues that the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, had advised him that he had been identified for security measures at his home and electorate office. Continue reading...